The House has now done our job and passed all twelve of the full year government funding bills before the end of the fiscal year on September 30th. The Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act reflects the will of the House and makes tough choices regarding funding priorities. From increasing funding for our military to boosting border security to cutting wasteful programs to strengthening life-saving medical research, this bill prioritizes spending to reflect national priorities.

Here are some of the provisions included in this bill:

It cracks down on illegal immigration and fully funds the Trump administration’s request for a wall along the southern border;
It rolls back job-killing regulations, like the fiduciary rule, the Waters of the U.S. rule, and Dodd-Frank regulations;
It gives our troops a much-deserved pay raise;
It protects the sanctity of life here at home by defunding Planned Parenthood and enforcing the Mexico City Policy;
It protects the safety of our citizens by providing for $789.7 billion in national security priorities, including defense, nuclear weapons safety and reliability, and veterans’ affairs;
It ends dozens of underachieving government programs across multiple agencies and reduces funding for hundreds of others that need improvement;
It cuts funding for the EPA by $534 million;
It supports the exploration of space by funding NASA and NASA Science programs;
It fights against forest fires by fully funding treatment, prevention, and emergency services;
It prevents any funds to be used to further implement Obamacare rules; and
It reforms the IRS and holds its funding to below Fiscal Year 2008 levels.

The bill also includes two of my amendments that directly impact our region:

An amendment to protect important Gulf Coast oil and gas revenue through the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA); and
An amendment blocking funding for the National Ocean Policy, which would create an entirely new and unauthorized bureaucratic overlay and governance structure for our nation’s oceans.

While we have worked diligently to pass this legislation in the House, the Senate has yet to pass a single government funding bill. I remain deeply concerned about the impact the logjam in the Senate is having on our ability to enact our conservative priorities and President Trump’s agenda.